The Dakar Rally is not a place for second chances. It rewards preparation, consistency, and the ability to adapt when the plan breaks down. For Dacia, 2026 marks a second attempt at motorsport’s most demanding proving ground – and this time, the scale of ambition is unmistakable.

From 3–17 January, the Dacia Sandriders will contest the Dakar Rally once again, opening the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) with a four-car assault across Saudi Arabia’s toughest terrain. After a stage win on their Dakar debut twelve months ago, and two victories during last season’s W2RC campaign, the team arrives better prepared, better resourced, and determined to convert potential into results.

Four Cars, One Objective

The 2026 Dakar marks a step change for the programme. The Dacia Sandriders expand from three to four entries, fielding one of the strongest driver–navigator line-ups in the bivouac.

Leading the charge is Nasser Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar winner and three-time W2RC champion, partnered once again by Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin. Experience of this depth is rare even at Dakar, and Al-Attiyah arrives with unfinished business after narrowly missing the podium last year.

Alongside them, Spaniards Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno return determined to build on a quietly impressive 2025 campaign, where consistency and teamwork defined their role within the squad.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb lines up for his tenth Dakar appearance, joined by 2025 W2RC champion navigator Édouard Boulanger. After seeing last year’s Dakar end prematurely due to accident damage, Loeb returns focused on finishing what was started.

Completing the quartet is reigning W2RC champion Lucas Moraes, who makes his Dakar debut with Dacia, partnered by German navigator Dennis Zenz. Moraes knows the podium already; Zenz brings hard-earned Dakar experience from the navigator’s seat.

The Route: Long, Remote, Relentless

The 48th running of the Dakar Rally covers a total distance of 7,994 kilometres, including 4,840 kilometres against the clock across 13 stages. Starting and finishing in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, the route spans dunes, rocky passes, fast tracks and marathon stages where crews must survive overnight with no external technical support.

Stage 6, at 920 kilometres, stands as the longest test of the rally. Night-time temperatures near freezing contrast sharply with daytime highs, demanding physical endurance as much as mechanical sympathy. This is the environment the Sandriders must master if their W2RC title challenge is to begin strongly.

The Sandrider: Matured for Dakar

All four crews will compete in the upgraded four-wheel-drive Dacia Sandrider, running on ARAMCO sustainable fuel and BFGoodrich tyres. For 2026, the car enters Dakar with a long list of targeted refinements.

Weight has been reduced through lighter body panels and a redesigned rear section. Cooling has been improved with revised air intakes, grille design, new fan motors and a water-cooled DC-DC unit. Visibility and night performance benefit from lighting upgrades, while durability improvements span reinforced suspension components, drivetrain revisions and FIA-homologated engine internals. Software updates refine power delivery within regulatory limits, and cockpit comfort has been addressed for extreme heat.

This is no longer a development exercise. The Sandrider arrives as a matured rally-raid tool.

Leadership Perspective

Team Principal Tiphanie Isnard is clear-eyed about what lies ahead.

“Only one year after our first participation in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and Dacia’s very first steps into motorsport, we are already back at the start of the world’s toughest event. We approach the Dakar Rally with determination and ambition. Our objective is clear: we want to win.

Technically, we have taken the car to maturity. It has shown strong performance on every type of terrain, from dunes to fast tracks. But we approach Dakar with humility. The Dakar always has another side – unexpected challenges, surprises and setbacks. That’s also why we love this event.”

Drivers’ Focus

Al-Attiyah sets the tone from the cockpit.

“The Dacia Sandrider is a very good car, the team is very strong and I am sure we will have a very good result. Dakar is very difficult, but I push to win again. This is my target. We have much more experience now and we are really well prepared.”

For Gutiérrez, confidence replaces uncertainty.

“Last year I had some uncertainty, but after seeing how we performed, I feel strong and highly motivated heading into the Dakar. I know we’re capable of achieving a great result.”

Loeb, pragmatic as ever, points to progress.

“The team has done a tremendous amount of work on the car since last year. Reliability issues have been solved, we won Rallye du Maroc, and all indicators are green. Dakar is long and complex, but we are well prepared.”

And for Moraes, Dakar 2026 is a fresh chapter.

“A new team, a new car and a new co-driver – but the hunger to fight at the front stays the same. The challenge is huge, and that’s exactly what motivates us.”

Second Time In, No Illusions

Last year, finishing Dakar was the benchmark. This year, the expectations are higher. The experience banked in 2025, combined with a strengthened line-up and a more robust car, puts the Dacia Sandriders firmly in contention.

Dakar will still decide the outcome. It always does. But as the bivouac assembles in Yanbu once again, Dacia returns not as a newcomer – but as a team ready to be measured properly.

DACIA.COM